Venezuela seizes 70K pounds of bad chicken

CARACAS, Venezuela, Sept. 23 (UPI) — Nearly 70,000 pounds of chicken unfit for human consumption was seized in Venezuela after a company allegedly tried to resell it after it was rejected by a fried chicken restaurant.

William Contreras, President Nicolas Maduro‘s chairman for Venezuela’s Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Urban Development, said the accused company, Food Paica International C.A., broke an article of the Organic Law of Fair Prices when it allegedly attempted to sell the rejected chicken.

Food Paica International C.A. prepares chicken for the Arturo’s fried chicken fast food chain, which has established standards related to the cuts of chicken, Contreras said.

The company is also accused of not following proper mobilization guidelines related to chicken transport, which is why an investigation into the chicken was initially opened, El Mundo reports.

The seizure of 70,000 pounds of illicit chicken comes as Venezuelans nationwide face food shortages and hunger. In Miranda state, in which Caracas is located, a state of emergency was declared over food insecurity. A study found that 17 percent of people in the state feed themselves by going through garbage.